{"id":153609,"date":"2026-08-10T22:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T16:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=153609"},"modified":"2026-08-10T22:10:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T16:40:55","slug":"british-airways-a380-turns-back-after-7-hours-in-air-over-radar-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/10\/british-airways-a380-turns-back-after-7-hours-in-air-over-radar-failure\/","title":{"rendered":"British Airways A380 Turns Back After 7 Hours in Air Over Radar Failure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LONDON-<\/strong> British Airways (BA)<\/a> Flight BA54, operated by an Airbus A380-800, was flying from O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg (JNB), to London Heathrow (LHR), when a reported weather radar malfunction forced the aircraft to turn back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flight had already faced more than 5 hours of ground delays before departing Johannesburg. After spending almost 7 hours in the air, the A380 returned to JNB, burned fuel in a holding pattern to reach a safe landing weight, and later completed the London journey after repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Cl\u00e9ment Alloing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

British Airways A380 Turns Back Over Central Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flight BA54 was scheduled to depart Johannesburg<\/a> at 21:15 SAST on Friday, August 7, for an approximately 11 hour and 15 minute flight to London Heathrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service initially experienced more than 5 hours of ground delays. The Airbus A380-800<\/a>, registered G-XLEJ, eventually departed Johannesburg at 02:36 SAST on August 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After takeoff, the aircraft climbed to approximately 34,000 feet and tracked north toward London. It spent more than 2 hours flying through the airspace of Botswana and Zambia before reaching the Democratic Republic of Congo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was over the DRC that the flight crew detected a malfunction involving the aircraft’s weather radar system. The reported failure became a concern because the planned route crossed the equatorial region, where convective weather can make reliable weather detection and avoidance particularly important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than continue the long-haul flight without an operational weather radar system, the crew discontinued the planned route and turned the A380 back toward Johannesburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airlive<\/a> reported the incident and the subsequent return of the aircraft to its departure airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The A380 had departed with a large fuel load for its planned long-haul journey from Johannesburg to London. After turning back, the aircraft was therefore carrying more fuel than it would normally need for an immediate landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I guess going back to Joburg is better than diverting to Brazzaville?

Faulty weather radar for BA this time, so hardly something to warrant getting on the ground quickly, but also not something you\u2019d want to go through ITCZ without!!! https:\/\/t.co\/AdJUuUDVEy<\/a><\/p>— Analytic Flying (@analyticflying) August 8, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>